The Tale of Arvidi
by Aleirbag Eiram
Summary: Armed with power over the elements, Arvidi, teenage queen, has been hailed by the Nine as the child of a prophecy, told to defeat the Shadowfire Demons and save her civilization. She struggles to discover her purpose as she decides to aid the mysterious Jedi (who hold darker secrets then they reveal) and the young Irken outcast Zim, who may be the only one who can help her succeed.


**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**This is the Tale of Arvidi, the Queen of queens, the dragon's bane. It has taken me thirteen years to properly sculpt and shape this story, so any critique is greatly appreciated, so that I can make this story as perfect as possible. Just a quick note: THIS STORY HAS NO TIES TO ANY OTHER STORY I HAVE CREATED, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE NAMES AND VISUAL EXPLANATIONS ARE USED IN BOTH. THIS IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE.**

**Enjoy the story.**

**WARNING: RATED T FOR SOME INTENSE VIOLENCE, MILD LOVE SCENES (kissing, teasing, hugs... NO INAPRO-PRO! I'm a teen, fur crying out loud!) AND MEDIOCRE LANGUAGE ONLY. NO INAPPROPRIATE ADULT CONTEXT. THIS STORY IS VERY, VERY LONG, SO PREPARE TO SPEND A WHILE READING IT. BEGINNING STAGES WILL SUCK, BUT AS IT IS WITH ANY WRITER, IT GETS BETTER THE FURTHER ON ALONG.**

* * *

My thoughts were created before my body.

In a swirling mass of lights, my conscience began to shape slowly into a recognizable form. Without a direction, I swam around in the oblivion.

Until the voices began to call to me.

They were gentle, but stern at the same time. They came from all directions, saying a name that I hadn't heard before, but knew was mine.

_" Arvidi..."_

I shifted towards the noise. The essence around me parted as I sensed other beings nearby, nine in total.

_" Arvidi..."_

The Beings came closer to me. The energies in the void grew to astonishing levels, and my conscience tingled slightly at the power beginning to surge inside of me. After a moment, I had gained enough form to be able to think clearly for myself, establishing a form of identity.

_" Arvidi..."_

The voices were near, saying my name over and over again.

One of the Beings approached closer. Its power surpassed all of the others.

_" Arvidi..."_ it said. _" Do you know your purpose?"_

I tried to answer this odd question, but I had no mouth to speak with. I couldn't see or touch, but I could sense. I knew there was something in front of me, and I could sense the colors and energies swirling around me. In vain I tried to answer again, but didn't make a sound.

_" Do not speak with your mouth, child..."_ the voice said._ " Talk with your mind. Think out your answer, as the mind is the only part of you at the moment."_

I decided to try.

**_" Who are you?" _**I thought. The Beings in front of me shifted slightly in the void.

_" We are the Dürallî."_ said the Beings in unison._ " Creators of this world, guardians of the elements, saviors of the Kritemnan Kingdom."_

**_" What's a kritemnan?" _**I wondered, forgetting that the Beings could hear my thoughts. The powerful Being close to me chuckled.

_" Dear child..."_ said the Being lightly. _" That is what you are. A kritemnan. An elf-drake, who dwells on the planet Acadrit."_

**_" I do not remember any of this..."_** I thought.

_" That is because you have nothing to remember."_ said the Being. _" You life is only just beginning. Your legend is about to unfold."_

**_" My legend?"_**

_" You are special, Arvidi."_ said the Being. _" You are not ordinary."_

I was becoming more solid. There was a feeling near the bottom of my conscience, which was warm and pulsing.

**_" What is that?" _**I wondered.

_" Your soul."_ said the Being. _" It is your essence, your life-force, and the origin of your power."_

**_" My power?"_**

_" Questions like these are not to be answered before you are created."_ the Being said. _" In only a few moments, you will enter the world, and your questions will be answered by someone of your own kind."_

**_" I don't understand..." _**I thought.

_" Neither did your sisters."_ replied the Being, a hint amusement in its voice.

**_" Sisters?"_**

_" Yes."_ said the Being. _" After you are sent into the world, they will shortly join you."_

**_" Sisters..."_** I sighed. **_" What is a sister?"_**

The Being chuckled again. The void around me was starting to heat up slowly, as if an outside force was acting upon it.

_" All of your questions will be answered when you arrive on Acadrit."_ said the Being. _"But I have a question for you now. Do you know your purpose?"_

**_" Do I have one?"_** I wondered.

_" Yes."_ said the Being. _" A very important one. One that will shake the core of the Kritemnan Civilization and bring doom or peace to the universe."_

**_" I do not understand!"_** I wailed.

_" Do you know your purpose?"_ the Being asked again.

**_" No." _**I admitted. **_" Can you tell me?"_**

_" No."_ said the Being. Sensing my disappointment, it gently added: _" You will discover yourself in time."_

**_" But-"_**

_" I'm sorry."_ said the Being. _" But it is not within my duty to tell you all the answers. In order to fulfill your prophecy, you must discover your purpose on your own."_

**_" I still don't understand."_** I said. The Being sighed.

_" You don't have to for a long time."_ it said. _" However, when you do realize your purpose, contact me."_

**_" How?"_** I thought.**_ " I don't even know your name."_**

The Being laughed. All around me, the void began to grow thicker.

_" Dear girl."_ said the Beings again in unison._ " Where you're going, everyone knows our names."_

The energy around me began to swirl and enveloped my conscience. It was uncomfortable; I felt like I was suffocating.

**_" What's happening?"_**

_" You are beginning your journey."_ said the Being. _" Your life as a kritemnan is about to start."_

The void wrapped around me, creating a thick blanket around my essence. I lifted up a hand to brush away the hair plastered to my face by the coating.

_Arms? Hair?_

I still had no eyes and no mouth, but the rest of my body was slowly starting to take shape out of the void energy. The feeling in my fingers was interesting. I wiggled them happily in the swirling mist.

_" Arvidi, take heart."_ said the Being. _" You journey will be long and very painful at times."_

**_" Painful?"_** I thought.

_" Do not worry."_ said the Being. _" We will guide you."_

My essence was starting to fade. I was leaving the void and entering a world beyond.

**_" Please!"_** I begged. **_" I do not understand!"_**

_" Be brave, Arvidi..."_ whispered the voices, growing fainter. _" Take heart..."_

I felt my essence fade away completely, and the feeling came back completely to my body. An odd sensation traveled through my limbs, as if I were traveling through the air at a very high speed. When the sensation ended, a sharp blast of coldness swept over my skin. With a gasp, I rolled onto my side, wincing when a sharp bolt of pain raced through my back.

Laying there, I listened closely at my surrounding. I began to hear voices, not the ones in the void, but stronger, less-airy ones.

" Great Ka!" one of the voices exclaimed, female in tone. " What on Acadrit is that?"

Something warm touched my bare shoulder. With a whimper, I shifted away.

" Don't you see, Candra?" said a younger-sounding male voice. " It's a child."

A few voices rose to a loud murmur before dying away quickly.

" A child..." said the female named Candra slowly.

" Impossible." said a low male voice. " That fell out of the Sacred Pool. It isn't a child."

" Then it is sacred." said the young male voice. Another warm object touched my cheek.

" It looks like a child to me." said a high-pitched female. " A kritemnan child."

**_Kritemnan..._** There was that word again. That must mean that these people knew what kritemnans looked like. I longed to be able to speak and ask them.

" It is a child." said the male. " A holy child."

" No such thing should exist." said the low male stubbornly.

" Silence, Virtus." said a soft but stern voice of a female. " Caligo, as our mage, should know better than anyone else."

The male named Caligo grunted once in agreement.

" This is a holy child." he insisted " I believe that this child is the child in the prophecy."

" Nonsense!" Virtus interrupted. " Where is your proof of that?"

" I have none." said Caligo after a small pause. " But do children usually appear in the Sacred Pool?"

" Her wings!" came a sudden shriek. " Look at the color of her wings!"

**_Wings? Da heck?_** I thought. Many warm objects, which I now took to be hands, touched my shoulders hesitantly. I now realized why it had been painful to roll onto my back.

I had wings.

" Their color." said the voice. " That is not the color of our city, Urshivia."

" No, it's not..." said Caligo slowly. " It's the color of our sister city."

" Reshivia." The word was bounced from one voice to the next.

" Reshivia?" said Virtus. " This child does not belong here."

" Oh, she does..." Caligo cut in. I heard excitement creep into his voice.

" The prophecy." he continued. " Don't you see?"

The voices began to murmur again, questioning each other.

" Prove it." Virtus said.

After a moment of silence, I sensed someone leaning over me. A hand was placed on my forehead.

" Child..." Caligo said. " Can you hear me?"

I frowned, trying to reply. I had a mouth now. I just didn't know how to use it.

" Child?" Caligo asked. " What is your name?"

**_My name..._**

" Arvidi." The word came out without me having to think about it.

The voices became very quiet. I could hear the steady drip-sound of something liquid like falling onto the floor.

" Arvidi?" said Caligo after a moment. " Interesting. Where do you come from?"

" I..."

I wasn't from anywhere. The Beings had told me that I had nothing to remember, that me life was only just started. Since it was my earliest memory and only memory, I decided to use it.

" The void." I said simply. Murmurs were whispered by the voices.

" Can you open your eyes, Arvidi?" Caligo asked gently.

I paused for a moment. With great difficulty, I managed to opened up my eyelids.

Shapes and color flew into my mind, enveloping me so quickly that it took a few moments before I could comprehend what I was seeing. I was in a large room, make out of stone with odd forms hanging from the ceiling like thick needles. Dew dripped from their tips and into a large pool of water in the very center of the room, which gleamed like melted silver. I was laying on my back, the bottom part of me submerged in the warm lake. Long, shiny, light-brown hair cascaded down my shoulders, reaching my waist. Blinking, I lifted up my arms and gazed at my hands in awe. My skin was a pearly white, literally glowing with a soft light. I touched my face, tracing a finger along my lips, my eyebrows and my ears, which were pointed at the ends. I let my arms fall and sighed.

" Arvidi?" said a voice. With a jolt, I remembered the people in the room. Craning my neck, I looked behind me.

A crowd of the most interesting and fairest creatures I had ever imagined in my short life span stood a short ways away. They were tall and had sharp features. Their skin glowed in the dimly-lit cave, and they were dressed in elaborate, colorful tunics that reached down to their ankles. Each person was wearing a great array of gems and precious metals, and even their hair, which differed in color and length for each person, was decorated. But even with their many interesting features, none were as amazing as the pair of orange, bat-like wings protruding from each creature's back, ranging in many different shades. Their eyes matched the color of their wings, peering curiously at me in the gloom.

" Arvidi?" asked a voice again. Looking sideways, I stared into the face of the one known as Caligo, who tilted his head to one side as he observed my expression. He was different from the others in the room. Dressed in only a short-sleeved, plain brown robe, his bare, glowing arms were tattooed with orange runes that reached in a line from his shoulders to each tip of his fingers. The runes also crawled up to just below his jaw-line and a single, elaborate rune was placed in the center of his forehead. His wing shade of orange was light, almost white, which made his eyes reflect the dim light mysteriously. His features were those of a young man, handsome and unspoiled by age. However, his shoulder-length hair was completely void of color, sitting like a cascade of fresh snow on top of his skull.

Caligo the mage stared down at me with slight concern.

" Are you alright?" he asked. I nodded mutely.

These creatures looked like me. They had the same skin, pointed ears and wings, just as I had. Drawing to a conclusion, I could only confirm these people as kritemnans.

A stout, burly kritemnan appeared at Caligo's right shoulder. His eyes and wings were a dark orange, almost brown, and his jet-black hair and beard made him look almost like a viking.

**_What's a viking?_**

" What are we going to do with it?" he asked in a gruff voice that I recognized to be Virtus.

" _Her_." Caligo snapped. " It's a_ her,_ and she said her name was Arvidi."

" She shouldn't be able to speak." growled Virtus. " She looks only a few months old."

" She's a holy child." Caligo insisted. " She isn't ordinary."

There was that phrase again. '_ You're not ordinary_.' I felt slightly insulted by this, but also quite interested about what it meant.

A female kritemnan with long blond hair and peach-orange wings stepped forward.

" If this is indeed the child from the prophecy..." she said slowly. " Then the others must not be far behind."

" Others?" Virtus demanded. " What others?"

" Have not even read the Great Prophecy?" Caligo demanded, standing up abruptly.

" No." Virtus said, sounding bored. " What of it? I'm more busy defending our borders than reading musty old books."

" _Musty old books_?!" Caligo hissed, bearing a pair of vampire-looking teeth. Intrigued, I felt the inside of my mouth with my tongue and found that I too had sharp canines.

" Those_ books_ are the secrets and stories of our past!" Caligo continued, rage seeping into his voice. " Prophecies of our future, spells for our survival!"

"_ Everyone_ knows the Great Prophecy, Virtus..." said the female.

" I don't." Virtus sniffed. " I have better things to do than read. Why, if I spent all my time reading, Vezrix and Kirshka would have taken the outer farm lands by now!"

**_Vezrix? Kirshka?_** These names were as alien to me as the cave I was in. At the mention of those words, I saw the entire room of people cringe, save Virtus and Caligo.

" Do not..." Caligo growled, his eyes narrowing, " Mention the Shadowfire names lightly."

Virtus shrugged.

" Fear of the name creates more fear of the thing itself-" he said.

" _F__ear_ of the Shadowfire Demons..." Caligo interrupted. " Keeps us alive."

" It makes us _weak_!" Virtus spat.

" It keeps us _ready_!" Caligo roared. " If we followed your strategy, then we would all be destroyed by now!"

" It's only a matter of time now, anyway!" Virtus snarled angrily. " The Demons have more power. There is no way we can survive another thousand years against them!"

" _Shadows growth onto the land..._" came a sudden, ancient voice. All heads turned towards an elderly kritemnan, who was hunched over the pool. Her silver hair reached down to her ankles, gleaming like the water in front of her.

"_ The gem destroyed by demon's hand..._" she continued to rasp.

The room went silent.

" _The gift of nine to us bestowed, to mend the peace that we are owed._"

Caligo closed his eyes.

"_ Magic to decide our fate_." he whispered softly. "_ And save us in our hour late_."

" _The Queen of queen to rule the hall."_

_" And conquer if we're not to fall."_

_" Royal fate entwined between."_

_" Heroes will rise from spots unseen."_

_" A wondrous journey with a sting."_

_" From shadow shall a flick spring."_

_" Three fruitful wars that coincide."_

_" Allies met when worlds collide._

_" Condemned to love and doomed for pain."_

_" The Queen of queens, the dragon's bane."_

The silence was almost unbearably after the final word was uttered. With a slight limp, the elderly kritemnan shuffled towards me. Pausing, she gazed into my eyes with wisdom and hope.

" _You_, dear child..." she whispered. " Are our only hope."

I blinked a few times. The words that Caligo and the elderly kritemnan had said could only be the prophecy that I had heard about. I hadn't expected it to be so haunting, however.

" It can't be her." Virtus insisted, narrowing his eyes at me. " It said the gift of nine."

" I could mean the gift_ of_ the nine." Caligo said, opening his eyes. " Never jump to conclusions during a prophecy-"

" The water!" cried a voice. " The water!"

With hushed tones, the kritemnans watched in awe as a shape rose out of the lake, covered completely in the silver coating. At the water began to drip away, I saw the face of a young girl just like me peer out. The girl had long white hair, like Caligo, and a white pair of wings on her back. When she was fully uncovered, the girl slowly drifted towards the shore, laying a few inches next to me.

I didn't know why, but I felt like I knew this girl very well.

Caligo leaned over the newcomer.

" Child?" he asked. The girl whimpered a response.

" What is your name?"

" Ilma." said the girl, opening a pair of startlingly white eyes.

" Ilma." Caligo said. He looked at me.

" Arvidi..."

" There's another one!"

We watched as another girl, this one with dark black hair and black wings, rose out of the water, followed by a girl with chocolate-brown hair and dark brown wings. Over the course of a couple of minutes, several young girls appeared in the lake and floated towards the shore until eventually there were nine of us laying on the bank. The black-winged girl's name became Varjud, the brown's became Erde. The girl with red wings and copper hair, the girl with golden wings and equally golden hair and the girl with green wings and sage-colored hair became Chama, Licht, and Blad. The final two girls to appear in the lake were Jiskra, who had bright, wavy yellow hair and wings and Nehir, who had light-blue wings and pale-yellow hair. Laying together, we blinked at our surrounding in amazement.

" Nine girls..." Caligo said. " Nine elements."

" Nine queens." Virtus said, surprising everyone.

" It's all starting to make sense now..."

Caligo turned to a kritemnan near the front of the group.

" You!" he said. " Contacted the nine cities. Tell them the prophecy has begun."

" Yes, honorable mage!" yelped the kritemnan, and he rushed away as fast as he could. Caligo turned back to the nine of us on the bank.

" At long last, this horrible war may end..." he whispered.

The female kritemnan cleared her throat.

" Yes?" demanded Virtus. " What is it Candra?"

" Even one of these girls_ is_ the child from the prophecy..." Candra began.

" It's obvious who it is."

" Well, maybe, but the other eight are just as important. Anyways, even if they are the Nine's gift to us, what are we going to do with them? Who's going to care for them and help them with the necessary training? If what you say is true, then they'll need more than the average amount of tutoring in order to be able to accomplish their goals."

There was silence in the chamber.

" Look..." Virtus said. " All this... _prophecy_ stuff, is all high hopes and such."

Caligo shot Virtus a deathly glare.

" I mean, what's so special about them?" Virtus asked, waving a hand in our direction. " They look like regular draklets to me!"

" They rose out of the holy pool." Caligo said cooly.

" And?" Virtus hissed. " So what if they appeared? They look completely normal to me. How can it be that nine little girls with defeat the great Shadowfire Demons, while the most honorable kritemnan warriors from all of the cities have died trying?"

" Do not doubt the dragon's gift!" Caligo snarled, a fire blazing into his eyes. The runes on his body began to light up, which was an intimidating sight.

Virtus was unimpressed.

" Ah, so what!" he spat, pressing his forehead against Caligo's. " You'll never understand what's happening outside your library!"

" Gentlemen..." Candra pleaded, holding up her hands.

" If you spent_ half_ the time you spend with your nose buried in old scrolls and actually _fought_, we might actually have defeated the Demons by now!" Virtus seethed, ignoring Candra's begging.

" Sheer force cannot destroy them!" shouted Caligo, the rune on his forehead starting to smoke slightly.

" Caligo!" Candra snapped. " Calm down!"

" NINE LITTLE GIRLS CAN'T DO MUCH EITHER!"

" THEY'RE HERE TO HELP US!"

" WHAT CAN THEY DO-"

Chama, the copper-hair child, suddenly made a loud hiccuping noise. The crowd watched as she started to thrash, her tiny fingers digging into the ground.

" Someone do something!" cried a voice.

Chama arched her back with a gasp. Squeezing her eyes shut, she opened her mouth and...

A fireball sprang from out of her lips, rising into the air. It exploded in a shower of heat.

Awed, the kritemnans stared at Chama as she wiped her mouth and smiled.

" Look!"

Blad, the green-eyed girl, had dug her fingers into the damp earth. After a moment, she lifted them out. A small plant began to grow in the indent where her fingers had been, rising unnaturally fast. Blad wiggled her fingers happily at the plant, smiling when it twisted and grew according to her movements.

The kritemnans were silent. All eyes were on the two little girls, one who was making a plant grow, and the other the other who had set her fingers on fire and was waving them in the air.

" They're elemental wielders." said Virtus with awe, his eyes flashing at all the possibilities us nine little girls could bring.

" This is indeed..." Caligo said. " The Nine's gift."

For some reason, all the kritemnans suddenly turned to me expectantly. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I curled my knees closer to my chest and watched them warily.

It was Candra who finally broke the silence.

" They need protection for now." she said. " I ask nine of you to step up and take the responsibility of caring for one of the girls. A tutor and a trainer is what they need to prepare for their destiny."

After a moment of hesitation, eight kritemnans stepped forward. I barely had time to blink before a pair of powerful arms scooped me up and wrapped me in a soft cloak. Looking up, I saw Caligo's determined face glancing around the room.

" I will care for her." he said sternly.

" Caligo..." Candra said. " You are a mage. Your duties may prevent you from being able to properly tend to-"

" It is my duty to pass on mage knowledge to the future prophecy child." Caligo interrupted. " The Nine told me so, and so it shall be."

" What makes you think she's the prophecy child?" Virtus scoffed, who had baby Chama cradled in his arms.

" The prophecy says: ' _Magic to decide our fate_.' and ' _Queen of queens_.'"

" So?"

" Look at her closely." Caligo sighed. " We've been over this."

" Each girl is the color of a different element." Candra explained. " Therefore, we can assume that their color is the element they can control."

" Arvidi's color is the emblem of Reshivian." Caligo continued. " The magic city. You know, the one they call the Queen city. It makes sense that Arvidi would be called ' The Queen of queens.'"

" That little girl..." Virtus said with raised eyebrow, indicating towards me. " Can control magic? Impossible. It is not an element that can be harnessed. It is the source of life."

" Your little adoptive daughter can shoot fireballs from her mouth." Caligo countered.

Virtus smiled with pride down at Chama.

" I will teach her to be a _real_ fighter." he smirked, glaring at Caligo.

Caligo had a comeback of his own.

" I will teach Arvidi how to save our civilization."

Virtus scowled and turned away, disappearing into the darkness of the cave. The rest of the adoptive parents also followed suit and slowly, the large crowd of kritemnans trickled out.

" Caligo." Candra said, grabbing the mage's shoulder." You know how important she is, right?"

" Yes, I do."

Caligo looked up at the ceiling wearily.

" Preparations will have to be made for her." he sighed. " She is different from the other eight. I will place the power and protection runes on her body immediately."

Candra glanced at Caligo's noble face, her eyebrows raising slightly.

" Something is troubling you?" she asked.

" There's a part in the prophecy..." Caligo began, but he cut himself off and shook his head.

" No." he sighed. " I'm sure it's nothing."

Candra glanced down at me.

" Do you think we have a chance to end this war?" she asked. " It's been going on for so long..."

" I cannot say for sure." Caligo said. " But as of right now, this girl is the best chance we have."

" Take care of her."

" I'll treat her as if she were my own."

Candra turned away and followed the crowd out of the cave. Caligo lingered for a moment, gazing at my face.

" You're going to save us, Arvidi..." he whispered.

As his gently arms drew me closer, I realized that my memory of the void was beginning to fade away. I could no longer picture it as clearly, and it had become a fuzzy memory in the back of my mind.

'_ Her color is the emblem of Reshivia, city of magic._'

_**What is that color?**_ I wondered. Craning my neck, I looked backward at my wings.

_**Purple?**_

* * *

Caligo took me through long hallways and over strange stairs and bridges that were carved out of the stone. I was very tired, so I couldn't comprehend most of what I was seeing. Caligo's warm chest provided me with a feeling of security and comfort. Besides, everything was happening so quickly, I barely knew how to handle it. I was very glad that Caligo had decided to care for me, and I already felt an attachment forming for him, even though I had only known him for only about an hour.

" Caligo?" I asked softly, surprised at how small my voice had become. Caligo jumped slightly and glanced down at me in concern.

" What's wrong?" he asked.

" Nothing." I said, feeling like I wanted to giggle at his wide-eyed expression. " Where are we going?"

Caligo relaxed when he realized that there was no danger.

" To a special place." he said. " I'm going to perform some magic that will help you later on, alright?"

" …Caligo?" I asked again after a few minutes of silence. " Where did my sisters go?"

" Sisters?" Caligo asked, tilting his head slightly.

I assumed now that the eight other girls who had risen out of the lake were the sisters that the Beings had spoken of. I had felt as if each one was very close to me, and now I knew why.

" Where did they go?" I asked again. Caligo thought for a minute.

" Ohhh…" he said, his expression brightening. " You mean the other girls."

" Yes." I replied. " They're my sisters."

" Well, I guess they were taken to different location in the city to take care of their separate needs." Caligo said. " That… isn't a problem for you, is it?"

I shook my head numbly.

Caligo smiled tenderly and continued to walk in silence. As we went on our way, I noticed that the walls of the hallways were becoming fancier, no longer crude stone but bright marble.

" …Caligo?" I whispered. " Can I ask you something?"

Caligo chuckled.

" You don't need to ask permission." he said gently. " Anything you need to know, I will answer."

" Where am I?"

" You are in the kritemnan city Urshivia, the City of Scrolls."

" What's Reshivia?"

" The City of Magic. The Queen City."

" Why do people say I'm from there? I've never been anywhere before."

Caligo opened a wooden door and ducked inside.

" The color of your eyes and the color of your wings in the emblem color of the Queen City." he replied. " We're not saying that you're from there, but you're destined to go there eventually."

" Why is it called the Queen City?"

" There are nine different cities that represent each of the nine elements. Fire, Water, Electricity, Ground, Vegetation, Air, Darkness, Light and Magic. Each city is a different color, depending on which element they represent. Each element is important, but our entire civilization is based off of magic. It is the life force that runs within each living and non-living creature. Without it, our society would fall. That is why it is called the Queen city. It is the largest and most important."

" Which element does this city represent?" I asked timidly. Caligo shook his head.

" Urshivia doesn't represent anything." he said. " It is a tenth city, not based after an element, but instead acting as the sanctuary for every record, secret, prophecy and tale that the kritemnan civilization has ever had."

" You don't have a color?" I asked.

" We do." Caligo smiled. " Orange. But as there is no element we represent, we are called the Gem City."

" Oh, that's pretty…" I sighed. " But why?"

" A variety of reasons." Caligo said. " The first would probably be because of the vast amount of knowledge stored here. The records would be considered priceless gems to most _reasonable_ people."

Caligo's eyes narrowed into slits, and he curled his lips up into a snarl.

" That Virtus will understand his foolishness one day…" he growled.

I couldn't help myself. I giggled.

Caligo gazed down at me in surprise for a moment before his mouth turned up into a smile.

" Sorry, I'm just a little steamed up right now…"

" That's okay…" I grinned. " I forgive you."

I tugged gently at a strand of the mage's hair.

" What are the other reasons?" I prodded.

" Well, there is a large jewel mine underneath the city." Caligo said. " I guess that has something to do with it."

" And?" I asked. Caligo pinched my cheek affectionately.

" I like how curious you are." he said tenderly. " It'll come in handy some day."

I blushed slightly.

Caligo stopped walking. Glancing up, I noticed that we were standing in front of a pair of very large doors, painted gold and decorated with multiple gems. Placing his hand on the large knob, Caligo smiled.

" The last reason may be the most influential reason of all." he said. " Be prepared for what you see."

Caligo pushed against the door and allowed it to swing open slightly. With wide eyes, I took in the scene in front of me with awe.

A vast marble chamber extended in front of us, with pillars that reached up to an enormously high ceiling. Each pillar was studded with hundreds of large jewels, ranging in different colors and shades. The entire room glittered and danced with the light that glowed from each individual gem.

" It's beautiful..." I whispered.

" Yes, it it." Caligo agreed. " In more reasons than one."

I gave him a curious look.

" These aren't stones that you find underneath the earth..." Caligo explained as he walked through the chamber. " When you are older, I'll explain the significance of each stone."

He paused in the center of the room, in front of a stone table embedded with runes.

" All you need to know now is that they hold incredible power."

Gently, Caligo set me down on the table. The coldness of it made me shiver slightly and I longed to be held again.

The mage stepped back a few feet, raising his arms into a T formation. Lowering his head, he began to chant in a foreign language.

" Jiella 'thev gektsu suum mamre va calle't. Yellen ckritz hevenla weshi uduli takamoo..."

His words echoed around the chamber, and I began to translate what he was saying.

" _Spirits of the dead, I call upon you. Lend me your power for the binding magic."_

Caligo swung his arms forward slowly until his hands were clasped together in front of him, positioned directly over my body.

" _Show me the light and the magic of the prophecy. Give me the power to cast the needed spell."_

Caligo closed his eyes. A strange hum filled the chamber, and I was surprised to see that each gem was beginning to light up. The runes on Caligo's body also began to glow.

" _Spirits of the dead, hear me plead and answer my call."_

Caligo slowly lowered his right arm and touched the center of my forehead. The runes on his fingers made a slight tingling sensation as the came in contact with my skin.

" _Grant her leadership, grant her guidance, grant her harmony with all things living..."_

A strange feeling prickled on the top of my left shoulder down to my wrist. I glanced down to see a line suddenly appear on my arm, glowing with white light. On closer inspection, I realized that it was a line of runes, each one separate and unique.

" _Grant her power, grant her __strength, grant her determination..."_

A second line of glowing runes appeared on my right shoulder, mirroring the first.

" _Give her beauty, give her grace, give her a fair judgment..."_

A line of runes appeared on my left leg, starting at the top of the thigh, going over the knee, the top of the foot, and ending at the start of the toes.

_" Give her wisdom, give her reason, give her __strategy."_

A second line appeared on my other leg. The runes on my legs grew in length at the top until they connected at my stomach. A single line grew out of the junction, rising over my stomach and chest and ended at my collar bone. This grew into a T shape, branching out on either side so that it connected to the runes on my arms. I rolled onto my side slightly and noticed that the runes on the front were also on my back, elbows and the insides of my legs, copying the shape exactly. The runes looked like a stick figure drawing on my body, minus the head.

" _I ask you now, spirits..." _Caligo whispered. _" May she be a wielder of magic, a bridge into the world of dreams, and the Queen of Queens."_

My forehead began to burn. With a gasp, I clench my fists tightly and squeezed my eyes shut.

_" May she be the Dragon's Bane!"_

The pain in my forehead intensified. I opened my mouth and whimpered, but was unable to scream. Somehow, through my closed eyelids, I could see the rune being seared onto my forehead. It was triangular in shape, with tiny spears on each point. It faced down, so that the longest tip pointed toward my nose. In the center of the triangle was an eye with a slitted pupil. While the other runes on my body glowed white, this single eye glowed a brilliant violet.

Caligo pressed his finger harder into my forehead, causing the pain to multiply further. The runes changed from white to silver, standing out more against my glowing skin. It hurt so much that I managed to force out a whimper. There was a single flash of light, another mind-numbing wave a pain, and then it was over. In a daze, I felt strong arms holding me again, and warmth slowly spreading through my trembling body.

" Arvidi..." Caligo whispered. " I'm so sorry... It's over now. You don't have to worry."

I took in a few shudders breaths before I could calm down.

" What...?" I croaked, my voice having become strained and hoarse. " What...?"

"Shhh..." Caligo soothed, bringing me closer to his chest.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I realized how sleepy I was. A lot had happened in such a short amount of time, so it had taken quite a heavy toll on me.

Caligo seemed to sense my weariness.

" Rest, child." he encouraged. " I will be here to protect you."

" Promise?" I whispered.

" I swear it."

I tried to relax and surrender to blissful darkness, but a thought kept nagging in my mind. Attempts to push it away only intensified it, until it consumed my entire attention.

**_What is my purpose?_**


End file.
